1969 Dodge Dart Pro-Street 440

[Taxmanth]

So it begins!! Driving the Dart (Liz) back home from NY used the ol tax return and made it happen.

Started before starting college and now that im graduated and student loan debt free, its time to start dumping money into it! :glasses7::tongue9: so happy i think my face is going to melt.

 

[Taxmanth]

The 440 fits nicely inside the engine bay, even if there are roll cage bars in the way... Only head ake is the problem of the drivers side motor mount. So for now i just cut a 2x4 and wedged that inbetween the block and the steering box.

 

[Taxmanth]

I got the new cross member in the mail today, but still havent got the special driver side mount, so ill just loosely install it. With the left and right side motor mounts will be solid that makes me have a rubber trans mount to give the engine some twist capability.

The bolts are grade 8, 7/16 20, 3 1/2" the cross member holes only line up in one direction, so dont worry about installing it backwards.

But this damn picture is upside down for some reason and i cant fix it. Sorry.

 

[Taxmanth]

Heres a better pic of the a body 727 cross member. From what im told they are all the same. Still debating on if i want to spend the 3,000$ to have CV added to the trans to make it a 6 speed.... .... Thoughts?? Any one else have one?

 

[Taxmanth]

This is what was holding up the tranny, a 1x1 and 30' of yellow cord hahaha. FIXED!!!

 

[moparlover]

good progress!

did you look at the schumacher stuff yet?

http://www.engine-swaps.com/

two important notes:
the headers from them are nice fit, easy install, easy maintenance (you can change spark plugs lol) but they are smaller primaries you lose a few horsepower.
you will want to get the torque strap for the driver side or you will bust motor mounts with the 440. fact of life. unless you already have a big block motor plate you are using

 

[Taxmanth]

O not sure why all my pix are upside down but its pissing me off!!! But in any case i have the wing that my gmpa made for me at Kodack. Trying to install it but then realised i dont have a trunk hinge yet, so i probobly should hold off on putting it on untill i have that figured out.

Any one know of a custom trunk hinge kit!? When the 4 link was installed all that stuff was cut out.

 

[ralphie361]

I haven't needed one yet, but I thought a modern style scissor trunk hinge out of a charger/300 or even a stratus may be a cheap way to put hinges on a glass trunk, or even a steel one. Maybe a trip to a u-pull yard?

 

[Taxmanth]

good progress!

did you look at the schumacher stuff yet?

http://www.engine-swaps.com/

two important notes:
the headers from them are nice fit, easy install, easy maintenance (you can change spark plugs lol) but they are smaller primaries you lose a few horsepower.
you will want to get the torque strap for the driver side or you will bust motor mounts with the 440. fact of life. unless you already have a big block motor plate you are using

--------

Yea thats where i got one from, they have the custom one for the 440 w/o the bosses BUT ITS NOT ON THE WEB SIGHT YOU HAVE TO CALL TO GET IT. idk why i bet its popular.

As for the headers i have the fenderwell headers and the holes all ready cut. But after installing the roll cage i bet there are going to be a pain to install. As well as the motor plate because the front bars and the motor plate want to install in the same spot!! Roll cage went in first so it won ( i have two planning on putting a 8-71 on some day ) i also have a 1/2" hiem rod my old man made me to use as a torque strap. ( you can see it sitting on the drivers fender) O

View attachment image.jpg

 

[Taxmanth]

I haven't needed one yet, but I thought a modern style scissor trunk hinge out of a charger/300 or even a stratus may be a cheap way to put hinges on a glass trunk, or even a steel one. Maybe a trip to a u-pull yard?

Dident even think about a scissor style... I know avengers and stratus have them as well and might be easier to find!

I was going to put a glass trunk on but i was worried about the down force of the wing breaking the trunk, the same way the hood broke from all the years of picking it up by the scoop.

Ill post pictures of the fixed hood ( not done ) and the engine plate ( for another user )

 

[Taxmanth]

I have two of these things, the other one is not as bulky or boxy. I have this one so i can hack it up a lil to fit around the roll cage.

Altho it fixes the problem of installing the engine it adds others like pulley alignment dual water pump gaskets, extended water pump grade 8 bolts, how to re mount alternator, so i'll wait until i get the 8-71 to wrestle all that at once.

The other one i have is from mancini looks way better but not as much meat for customizing

 

[Taxmanth]

Ok good and bad news today. I got the drives side motor mount in the mail!!!!! Super excited about to so i went to go put it in and .... More alighnment problems :banghead::banghead::banghead::violent1: hahahaha figures right.(( see pictures below)))

Can anyone out there in 440 land give me some advice on how to make sure the motor is in strait before i drill the holes in my block to make it unfixable!!! .????????

I am going to try and side the drives mount up higher and see if that does the trick, but as of right now its twisted toward the driver side and i cant seem to make it straight. Is there a way to measure it and make sure its plum? I know that intakes are normally tiped forward so i bet thats a bad place to start.

How about you guys who put in motor plates? How do you guys put your engine in straight??

 

[Taxmanth]

Tranny installed

 

[Taxmanth]

New driver side motor mount, needs holes drilled into the oil filter bosses to make it final, see how its not lining up quite right?

 

[Taxmanth]

Passenger side, notice the gap i still have before its fully seated?.... I think tomorrow im going to try and silde the drivers side up its stops mabye that will work... Because i tried for 3 hours and could not get it perfect #-o

 

[moparlover]

hemidenny posted some pics in his thread before. contact him, he can tell you where the exact centerline of the crank should be in an abody so you will not be wondering later on about it.

 

[famous bob]

hemidenny posted some pics in his thread before. contact him, he can tell you where the exact centerline of the crank should be in an abody so you will not be wondering later on about it.

engine offset should be 1 3/8" toward the passenger side, some might get by w/ 1 1/4".
measure from inside frame rails to center of crank snout. I set mine at 1 3/8', the TTI headers would not have gone in, if any differant, if I hadn`t. still had to loosen the steering column, and hold it over to the left and retighten it. other than doing it by myself, being 68 yrs. old, was way easier than putting them on the hemi used to be. the drivers side was *****, even in the b body!--------bob

 

[Taxmanth]

hemidenny posted some pics in his thread before. contact him, he can tell you where the exact centerline of the crank should be in an abody so you will not be wondering later on about it.

Thanks dude, sent him a message and even got a quick reply, i found the solid motor mount was upsidedown and backwards.

The thing is still 1/4 to 1/2 inches offset to the rear. Sorry i couldent take a pic it was too tight in there for the ipad.

We can live with it untill the 8-71 and the motor plate. :blob::blob::glasses7::cheers:

Tomorrow, now that im happy with everything, I will start drilling the oil bosses, final install the driver side motor mount. And then open up the hole in the k member on the right side and final install the passenger side.

Then... Then....THEN! We can start making progress on the rest of the car. And since i,m leaving the country soon i think im going to save the money and buy a gearvendor over drive for the 727 before ordering my drive shaft!!!! :burnout::burnout:

 

[Taxmanth]

Installed!... Well ready for drilling and bolts.

 

[Taxmanth]

Want to do something that will get your dick hard? Try drilling a hole in the engine block of your car where you dont know where it goes. I was so nervous that i was going to dril crooked and destroy my motor ... Permently.

 

[Taxmanth]

Ok hols drilled and tapped!! Fits like a glove! Never thought i would have this much trouble putting in a 440 in a car where a 383 came out of...uugh:violent1: but we got it in and fits great!

Next thing is to buy a drive shaft and bolt up the rear end... Any one out there have a gear vendor over drive kit?! Do they like it?

 

[Taxmanth]

Well, ran into another problem. Fenderwell headers dont fit anymore. The roll cage is in the way. Jegs said the have a j and u bend that they can sell me for $20. So i guess ill be cutting and welding up a new passenger side set. Bc there is no way im spending $500+ on a new set

 

[Taxmanth]

Drivers side fits fine tho...

 

[moparlover]

if you can cut and weld that's awesome! by the way, ceramic coated headers are not baked on like people believe. (only by your car)

so if you do your own, you can make them nice. also i've heard of people using the manifold paint that Eastwood sells. but if you want actual header coating...

there is a site that sells the actual coating, it's pricey but they are the main supplier for the header coating companies. see my post here, quoting cudachick

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1970496052#post1970496052

coating company: http://NICIndustries.com

 

[wade]

your 100% wrong about ceramic mopar lover, i know this because i was part owner of a powdercoating shop that specialized in ceramic. its a multy stage process, first the part is stipped in stipper to remove contaminates, then it is baked out to make sure all stipper is gone, the the ceramic is mixed and prayed on like paint. it air dries for a couple hours and then is baked at 425 degree for 35 minutes, then when it comes out it is polished to a mirror/chrome like finish.